Does a child go missing in the United States every forty seconds?

Archive for July 9th, 2007

Authorities in Louisville, Kentucky found the body of a small child inside a garbage truck over the weekend. An identification has not been made which has caused concern as they are still searching for clues in the case of a missing 4-year-old boy.

On June 29th Cesar Ivan Aguilar-Cano was last seen playing outside his apartment building near Churchill Downs. An Amber Alert wasn’t issued. Police say there were no signs of abduction or foul play. Some neighbors even believed he may have been hiding in a horse trailer based on initial reports. There were extensive searches conducted in the area.

According to his mother, Rosalina Cano, the area they live in is safe and he often played outside unattended.

Cano said she let her son play outside for short periods of time unsupervised because she trusted the area and her neighbors.

On Friday, Cano said, she was cooking while Ivan watched cartoons on television. Around 3 p.m., he ran outside to play.

“He leaves without permission,” Cano said. “He doesn’t understand.”

What is somewhat puzzling is a neighbor may have seen possible abductors but it apparently didn’t raise any suspicions.

Flor Orantes, a family friend who lives on the first floor of Cano’s apartment building, said she saw a man and a woman talking to Ivan as he played outside. She said the two were rummaging through furniture and other belongings left next to a trash container by a family that had just moved away.

There are some thought to be afraid of coming forward with information for fear of deportation according to a plea by police.

Louisville Metro Police’s latest plea for help in finding 4-year-old César Ivan Aguilar-Cano was delivered yesterday in Spanish, via the community’s only Spanish-speaking radio station, 105.7 FM La Caliente.La Caliente, which is also available at 620 AM, reaches about 150,000 listeners in 17 counties, sales manager Paul Dendy said.Officer Minerva Virola, who is of Puerto-Rican descent, assured listeners that they need not worry about their legal status when calling in tips about the disappearance of César, who is known as Ivan by his family.

Update: It appears the issue is the mothers immigration status not unlike what faced the parents of Bryan Dossantos-Gomes who has not been found.

Ivan’s mother, Rosalina Cano, hopes to go to Guatemala for the burial. But she wants to ensure she can return to this country to help with the investigation of her son’s death even though she is an illegal immigrant.

Update 08-12-07The Courier-Journal is reporting the mother may be allowed to attend her son’s funeral in Guatemala.

Charlie Nett, family lawyer and director of Immigration and Legal Services at Catholic Charities of Louisville, said he received word late Friday afternoon, that Rosalina Cano, the boy’s mother, and Samuel Hernández, her boyfriend, will be granted significant-public-benefit parole.